The present invention relates generally to sediment removal systems which are used in environmental clean-up of sediment in bodies of water such as lakes, ponds, rivers, etc. In particular, the present invention relates to apparatus located at terminal ends of such sediment removal systems, e.g. suction heads or dredge heads.
In general, sediment removal systems use suction pumps connected to suction heads or dredge heads by pipes, which are typically flexible hoses or other flexible, hollow, conduit-type members. SCUBA or other underwater divers can go underwater and manually move the suction/dredge heads about the bottom of the body of water, visually determining what material needs to be removed.
In order to remove sediment, the suction head is placed close enough to the sediment that the vacuum or suction force of the system draws the sediment into the and through the suction/dredge head, and into and through the connecting lines of hose.
As the sediment is drawn into the sediment removal system, the system vacuum force is not selective in drawing material into the suction/dredge head, and thence through the hoses. Thus, a certain amount of unwanted material is drawn into the sediment removal system along with the sediment which is desiredly being removed. The unwanted material can include stones and rocks, as well as a certain amount of organic vegetation.
Sediment removal systems are typically designed to remove smaller-size particles, such as sand, silt, sludge, muck, and the like, and so the equipment is designed to handle such smaller size particles. In the interest of efficiency of the system in handling such smaller size particles, the system is not designed primarily to handle larger stones and rocks. Thus, when a larger stone or rock gets into the system, the system can be damaged by the larger stone or rock. For example, a stone or rock can damage the impellers in a pump so that the efficacy of the pump is negated or severely degraded. Accordingly, certain steps have been taken to protect the moving parts of the system.
As one example, various filtering mechanisms have been employed, which are placed between the suction/dredge head and the pump. However, on occasion, various stones, rocks, and other relatively larger non-desired pieces of debris become lodged elsewhere in the system, such as in the hose between the filter and the suction/dredge head or at the dredge head opening.
Accordingly, efforts have been made to provide a filter mechanism at the suction/dredge head. Typical suction/dredge head filter mechanisms include one or more bars or a screen which is fixedly attached to the suction/dredge head. And one known suction/dredge head uses a hinged bar that covers part of the opening into the suction/dredge head.
However, all such previous filter mechanisms at the suction/dredge head have proved inadequate. The filter mechanisms, which include fixed bars or screens, plug with various particles and objects, whereby the user has to, with his or her hand, pull such particles and objects out of or away from the fixed bars or screens. Since the suction power generated by the pump can be substantial, the user, for safety and/or other reasons, must first de-energize the pump prior to removing the plugged particles and objects from the suction/dredge head.
The filter mechanisms which include a hinged bar have proven inadequate for the intended purpose of use for numerous reasons. As one example, the bar hingedly travels only a relatively short distance, whereby when hinged fully open, portions of the bar are relatively further from the opening of the suction/dredge head, yet the bar continues to extend over a column projected from the opening. Accordingly, when the bar is hingedly opened, and particles or objects communicating with the bar remain substantially in-line with the pull of the vacuum, whereby when the bar is hingedly opened, the particles or objects can of roll, slide, or otherwise deflect off the bar, into the path of vacuum pull, thence non-desiredly into and through the suction/dredge head.
As another example, filter mechanisms which include a hinged bar have proven inadequate because the hinged connection between the bar and the suction/dredge head is substantially loose which provides a substantial amount of free-play at the bar. Accordingly, the bar easily flops, droops, sags, hangs down, wobbles, and or otherwise non-desiredly freely moves. Because of this loose connection, the bar is easily displaced from the desired location across the opening of the suction/dredge head.
When the bar is at an extreme positions of displacement, the bar extend across a minor portion or very little of the opening, whereby the effective size of the opening, e.g. the largest unobstructed portion of the opening, remains sufficiently close to that of the opening without the bar extending there across, such that various non-desired particles and objects can still pass through the opening, into and through the suction/dredge head, and non-desiredly into various other portions of the system. In other words, when the bar is at an extreme position of displacement, the integrity of the filtering function provided by the bar is largely, and sometimes wholly, compromised, whereby the hinged bar substantially fails to provide the desired mechanical protection for the system.
Accordingly, it might prove desirable and/or beneficial to provide suction/dredge heads which can be cleared of plugging masses or blockages without having to de-energize the corresponding system pump.
It might prove beneficial to provide suction/dredge heads which include one or more movable members adapted and configured to clear plugging masses or blockages from the opening of the suction/dredge heads, without requiring the user to manually withdraw the plugging masses or blockages from the opening of the suction/dredge heads by using his or her hand.
It might prove beneficial to provide suction/dredge heads which include one or more movable members adapted and configured to clear plugging masses or blockages from the opening of the suction/dredge heads which are sufficiently stable so as to remain substantially static when the one or more movably members extends across the opening of the suction/dredge head, during use.